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Author: Analog on July 09 2008 Viewed 1235 times. 16 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
People who enjoyed reading this: Zanf, packetst0rm, Roshi, Otterfan, Fognozzle, Lara, Leo, Moriarty, mlbot, flies, DrexonField, Unknownforce, hecanjog, jkn, quicks, kwyj
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So a couple of weeks ago i bought some earplugs fo playing live and going to gigs.
They're ER20s, "musicians' earplugs", like these: link
Playing with Blood Moon we use a lot of feedback, lots of distortion, and our sound relies somewhat on being LOUD. We can't really do a quiet gig (although we have in the past) and, hence, we can't rehearse quietly either.
Having just bought some new distortion pedals and upgraded to some really loud amps, we thought it advisable to get earplugs. A frind of ours has bad tinitus; so bad it affects her mental health, and we didn't want to end up like that. I value my ears and one of my biggest fears is deafness. (I once had an infection in my ear that almost meant i had to have my eardrum pierced to drain it, i was so scared i cried...)
So we've used the ER20s a few times and they seem great. We went to watch The Fall in manchester and wore them. You can hear everything clearly, even people talking, and when we got outside after my ears weren't ringing at all.
Using them to practice is a bit wierd. You feel a bit detached, like being on drugs in a way. Playing the drums is unusual, the snare feels like hitting a block of wood! But we can play some nasty sounds and not suffer the usual fatigue. I'm looking forward to our gig next week, we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I highly reccomend using earplugs. As musicians our ears are our greatest commodity.
What do you chaps reckon?
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07/09/08
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Zanf
I spent a shedload of cash on some of these: link about 18 months ago. Best money Ive spent. I was at MBV in Glasgow last Thursday and was laughing at all the people who were there without adequate ear protection - they must be mad!
Having said that, I do have issues with tinnitus in my left ear [a recent hearing test showed that I have a 25dB SPL difference @ 8Khz between my right and left ears] so I use them to minimise any further damage. I have known the trauma that tinnitus causes and can understand how some people completely flip out because of it.
07/09/08
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packetst0rm
I use these for when I'm taking photo's of gigs...it's a god send when you get stuck by a speaker!
link
and more recently to shut out my loud french housemate...
07/09/08
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Roshi
How was MBV, zanf?
07/09/08
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adcBicycle
I've been using er20s too... it does still take a lot of the treble though. Kind of takes some of the life out of the music. I found the music sounds much better if you stand back farther away from the speakers... none the less as far as ear plugs go these are very nice.
07/09/08
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tmns
I got a set of er-20's specially for the MBV show last week, and I'm definitely glad I wore them. My friend wore the ones they gave away free and consequently he left early as he couldn't handle the volume anymore. I still had ringing the next day, but only in one ear for some reason.
I'm gonna start wearing them to band rehearsals now, and for all shows I go to.
07/09/08
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Leo
Even when going to the local bar/club, I always bring earplugs. For some reason in Ohio (maybe everywhere) there is some kind of stigma against wearing earplugs, and people will tease you for it, and call you weak. I wear them regardless, and find that most of the time I am fine about a half hour after leaving a show. Particularly loud shows (Vsnares was rough) will leave me ringing until morning. I typically use Little foam guys with 33dB of attenuation. Not for musicians really, and it does cut the highs a lot. I'll have to look into these musicians' earplugs. Thanks for the blog.
07/09/08
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claudia
i have ones similar to zanf's, i take them everywhere, to shows, dancing, etc. i cant imagine not having them, but yea you do feel detached, but when the show is over, my ears feel great
i think mine cut like 20db, something like that
i also have tin in my right ear from a scuba diving accident, lost basically all the high in that ear, but i got used to it, just not interested in hurting it more you know
07/09/08
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timmo
I started getting permanent ringing in my ears in high school, I've worn some form of ear protection at shows ever since. Most recently I have been taking my recorder in with my ER6 headphones. So I can monitor my recording of the show, record the show, save my ears, and still hear the show quite accurately. Keep on rockin'!
07/09/08
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Zanf
Roshi said: "How was MBV, zanf?"
fuck knows. I couldnt hear a thing! ;-)
It was superb. I went with Jetsom and I tried to say when 'You Made Me Realise' was playing but we couldnt hear each other. When they hit the first chorus and the music dropped to just the vocal of them saying the title, I just pointed. It was obvious what track it was 2 minutes later when they started the 30 min feedback session.
My earplugs have a -15dB flat attenuation filters in them but but I can swap them out for either -9dB or -25dB filters, depending on what I require. I do have a certain disconnection to the music, similar to like being underwater but not quite as intense. I get bad ear ringing/piercing sensation now from shit like the bleeping from train doors closing or mobile phones so I like to wear them when out on the street.
07/09/08
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strangus
I have tinnitus like a mofo. I have custom made plugs with 20db filter. They're good for most occasions, sometimes I forget them and have to dip into the store for sme of those spongy ones. I pretty much have ear plugs in all my coats and backpacks as I try to suppress louder ringing. I recommend the custom made musician plugs. The cut the frequencies nicer than the store bought spongy ones. For me I am able to focus on individual sounds easier with them, like just the hats or bass. Where as in a super loud situation it all just seems to run together.
07/09/08
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nagrom
I have a pair of Ety-plugs: link I haven't tried anything fancier, but I love them. It's rare that I don't use them.
07/09/08
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besenkopf
I just use the old drugstore foam jobs. I've used them since high school. I even use them on marching band gigs-- it was weird getting used to that.
07/09/08
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Roshi
nagrom said: "I have a pair of Ety-plugs: link I haven't tried anything fancier, but I love them. It's rare that I don't use them."
Ooh, just ordered a pair of the purple ones.
Been meaning to get them for a while.
07/09/08
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poinp
I have custom molded earplugs. I work in a loud environment so I have to wear earplugs all day every day while I'm working.
The funny thing is, I've found the ones that protect the best are those ordinary old yellow foam ones. They're way more comfortable too.
I've also tried those huge cup things too. Those are kind of creepy. They block out almost all high freq. With those, you can't tell which direction sounds are coming from. It feels like being in a tunnel undewater with no pants on. Weird!
07/10/08
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dach
Why would you not just turn the music down a bit?
What to you gain by having it too loud, and compensating by using special earplugs?
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